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Diarmuid O'Neill

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will order that copies of statements provided by police to the coroner be made available to the relatives of Diarmuid O'Neill at least four weeks prior to the opening of the resumed inquest into his death. [56339]

Mr. George Howarth: My right hon. Friend has no powers to direct the release of documents in connection with an inquest, but, wherever possible, we hope that information can be provided to families in advance.

3 Nov 1998 : Column: 501

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he received the Police Complaints Authority report on the death of Diarmuid O'Neill; what prosecutions or disciplinary actions were recommended in the report; on what date the inquest will be resumed; on what dates the relatives of the deceased were informed of the circumstances of his death; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [56317]

Mr. Boateng: The police investigation has been completed and copies of the report have recently been sent to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Her Majesty's Coroner and the Crown Prosecution Service. PCA investigation reports are not normally sent to the Home Secretary or made public.

Decisions as to any criminal or disciplinary action to be taken are matters for the Crown Prosecution Service, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the PCA. If the cause of death and the circumstances in which it occurred have not already been established in the course of criminal proceedings, the coroner may resume the inquest once the criminal proceedings are completed to inquire into these questions.

Schengen Agreement

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if signatories of the Schengen Agreement now recognise the certificate of identity otherwise known as the brown British travel documents; what has been the impact of their policy on (a) those given exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom and (b) those unable to obtain a travel document or passport from their own country who have indefinite leave to remain; and what steps his Department has taken on this matter. [57720]

Kate Hoey: The Certificate of Identity issued to certain foreign nationals living in the United Kingdom is issued in accordance with international custom, complies with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and guarantees the holder's return to this country within its validity. However, we are aware that some holders of these documents experience difficulties when applying for visas to travel both within Europe and beyond.

It is a matter for the competent authorities of each country to decide whether to accept into their territory an individual or the holder of a particular type of document. This is not something over which the issuing authority can exert any influence.

Hillsborough Disaster

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where (a) transcripts and (b) all additional material arising out of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's scrutiny of the evidence relating to the Hillsborough disaster are held; and in what form. [57477]

Mr. Boateng: Transcripts of meetings, prepared by Harry Counsel and Co., are held in paper form at the Home Office. Additional material arising out of the scrutiny is also held in paper form at the Home Office. Copies of as much as possible of the evidence considered by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith have been placed in the Library. The scrutiny papers do not form part of the material held by South Yorkshire Police.

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Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if South Yorkshire Police hold (a) transcripts and (b) the additional material arising out of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's scrutiny of the evidence relating to the Hillsborough disaster on computer disk. [57478]

Mr. Boateng: South Yorkshire Police do not hold copies of either transcripts or additional material arising out of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's scrutiny of the Hillsborough disaster. Hard copies of these documents are held on file at the Home Office.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if South Yorkshire Police hold the (a) statements, (b) amended statements and (c) other documentation collected by West Midlands police during the investigation of the Hillsborough disaster on computer disk. [57480]

Mr. Boateng: All statements collected by West Midlands Police during the investigation into the Hillsborough disaster, including the amended statements by South Yorkshire Police officers, are held by South Yorkshire Police in their original paper form, and also on the HOLMES computer. Other documents collected by West Midlands Police are also held by South Yorkshire Police in their original form, but were not entered on the HOLMES computer.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if statements collected by West Midlands Police in respect of the Hillsborough investigation were entered on the Holmes computer. [57481]

Mr. Boateng: I can confirm that statements collected by West Midlands Police in respect of the Hillsborough investigation were entered on the HOLMES computer.

Police Statements

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what length of time statements entered on the Holmes computer are retained and what arrangements are made for their archival storage when they are removed from the computer system. [57479]

Mr. Boateng: I understand that under rules developed by the Crime Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers, information, such as witness statements, generated during a police investigation and entered onto Holmes is retained on the computer while the case remains active and then transferred to magnetic tape for archival storage. Information relating to closed cases for which a life sentence has been awarded is retained for the life of the convicted offender. For determinate sentences, the data are retained until all the appeal procedures have been exhausted, until the release of the offender, or for six years, whichever is the longer. Information relating to unsolved investigations or closed cases of national importance is retained indefinitely.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the capacity of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to deal with outstanding appeals. [57401]

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Mr. Boateng: The Board's programme, which we have approved, aims to clear appeals and other hearings cases at an annual rate of 10,000 so that the remaining work is completed by March 2000. The membership of the Board is currently 49 senior lawyers operating on a part-time basis. They are supported by legal and administrative staff. Given the increased complexity of the remaining cases, Lord Carlisle of Bucklow QC, the Board's Chairman, knows that we are open to recommendations as to the complement and composition of the Board and he has put forward two additional appointments for consideration. One additional Scottish member has recently been appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board originating in each year since 1990 (a) were completed at first instance, (b) were agreed at first instance, (c) were refused at first instance and (d) subsequently went to appeal. [57397]

Mr. Boateng: Comprehensive data are not available by year of receipt of the claim. The table gives data on cases resolved at first instance in 1990-91 to 1997-98.

Year	Single member decisions accepted	Awards made	Claims refused
1990-91	44,179	32,135	12,044
1991-92	49,009	35,268	13,741
1992-93	47,462	32,893	14,569
1993-94	53,680	33,982	19,698
1994-95(8)	44,528	27,924	16,604
1995-96	65,990	42,124	23,866
1996-97(9)	53,824	32,906	20,918
1997-98	12,012	8,014	3,998

(8) The first Tariff Scheme was introduced on 1 April 1994 and withdrawn on 5 April 1995. During that period there were thus no new claims for assessment by the CICB, but all that year's intake reverted to such assessment from April 1995.

(9) The Tariff-based Scheme made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 became effective for all claims received on or after 1 April 1996.

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board are yet to be resolved for each year since 1990. [57399]

Mr. Boateng: The position at 30 September 1998 was:

Year of receipt of original claim	Appeal/hearings cases to be resolved
Pre-1990	240
1990	162
1991	365
1992	525
1993	862
1994	2,656
1995	6,887
1996(10)	3,395
Total	(11)15,092

(10) 31 March 1996 was the final date on which a claim under the 1990 scheme was received.

(11) The total includes a number of cases resolved in previous years but re-opened on medical grounds.

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Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the period of time that applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board wait for their cases to be processed. [57403]

Mr. Boateng: The 1990 common law based damages scheme administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board was replaced for claims received on or after 1 April 1996 by the Tariff-based scheme, administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The new scheme is designed to be simpler and faster in processing cases. At 1 April 1996, the Board had some 110,000 unresolved claims. By 30 September 1998 that figure had been reduced to 17,490, which reflects good progress in the planned, orderly clearance of the Board's remaining work by March 2000. The 92,510 1990 scheme claims thus resolved, compares with 107,650 resolved under the 1996 scheme in the same period from its standing start on 1 April 1996.

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board were successful in each year since 1990. [57398]

Mr. Boateng: The table gives the number of cases resolved at an oral hearing and the outcome in awards made in 1990-91 to 1997-98.

Year	Number of cases heard	Number of full or reduced awards made	Percentage
1990-91	5,852	3,055	52.2
1991-92	8,909	3,981	49.2
1992-93	7,896	3,745	47.4
1993-94	7,340	4,094	55.7
1994-95	8,905	4,567	51.3
1995-96	7,350	3,976	54.1
1996-97	8,338	4,072	48.8
1997-98	7,410	3,518	47.5
Total	62,000	31,008	50.0

In addition to the total of 62,000 heard, a further 15,352 appeals cases were resolved without a hearing. Data on the number of these resulting in an award are not available without disproportionate cost.

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been refused by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on the grounds that the applicant did not co-operate with the Police. [57402]

Mr. Boateng: In the period 1990-91 to 1997-98, 155,833 claims were refused by the Board. Of these, 37,945 (24 per cent.) concerned failure by the applicant in reporting to, or otherwise co-operating with, the police.

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to see (a) police evidence and (b) other relevant evidence in advance of any appeal hearing. [57400]

Mr. Boateng: The arrangements whereby the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board obtains information from the police are governed by an agreement between the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office and the Board. These arrangements, which I have no plans to seek to change, include an undertaking by the Board not

3 Nov 1998 : Column: 505

to disclose police documentary material to applicants, with the exception of witness statements, which are made available to applicants at an appeal hearing and recovered at the end of the proceedings. If other police information is at issue, the applicant is notified and the police officer will be called to give oral evidence which is open to examination and cross-examination by the applicant. All other material is sent to the applicant well in advance of the hearing. The Board members hearing the case have precisely the same documents before them as the applicant. They, too, rely solely on the oral evidence brought out at the hearing in relation to police information.

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